Ingejard Roman is one of Sweden's leading designers and ceramists. While he has designed many designs for Swedish manufacturers, he has also participated in collaborative projects with designers and architects from around the world. Teruhiro Yanagihara is one of them. Even though she is over 70 years old, she is a charming woman who happily says, ``She likes to be open to new things.''

Story by Ingejard Roman

If you ask me if Scandinavian design is "more" or "less," it's "less." So it's more of a subtractive design. Scandinavian and Japanese design have something in common. I have always wanted to let the material speak for itself, rather than the color or design. Japanese people understand that. He knows everything about the materials and pays attention to the little things that I'm particular about.

I have always made things that can be used on a daily basis. The reason I make things for everyday use is because I like to cook. Whether it's IKEA, Orrefos, or my own creations, I don't make things that I won't use. Whether it's tableware or baskets, we aim to create items that last a long time and can be shared with others. When I first went to Japan, I bought Sori Yanagi's butterfly chair.

The first time I went to Japan was in 1982. I wanted to see Japanese crafts, go to Kyoto, and definitely go to Tokyo. I love big cities. Since then, I have visited Japan many times, and in 2013, Teruhiro Yanagihara, whom I always call Teru, invited me to participate in the ``400/'' project commemorating the 2016th anniversary of the founding of Arita ware. We will be collaborating with Koransha.

The first thing I wanted to do in my project with Koransha was "Undecorate." Everything about Koransha's porcelain was of high quality, from the materials to the manufacturing process to the painting, but for me, the high-quality materials, shape, and glaze were enough, and I didn't need any decorations. Decorations can sometimes hide what you want to show.

Teru is a wonderful person. I first met him when he was very young and one of his acquaintances brought him to the studio for Christmas. After that, he visited me several times, and I was thrilled when he told me that he wanted to work with me. He's a very smart person. He means it in a good way. He also has a very nice personality. Even at work, he values ​​connections and relationships of trust, right? Me too. If he is going to work with someone who speaks the same language as him, he would like someone to work with. People who share the same values ​​and respect each other. That's the kind of person he is. It's not that I want to work with someone who says "yes" to everything I say.

I also like Tell's work. I especially like the square plate I made as part of the Arita project. I have some of his small works in my workspace. When I look at it, I remember Teru, who is my fan, and it warms my heart. I will be working on a new project with him again next year. Even if it's not every year, I would like to continue doing it.

Clason, Koivisto, and Rune are also people who share the same "language". About 20 years ago, I bought an old building in a nature-rich area in southern Sweden and asked them to renovate it. Since they were just graduating from school and I was young, I didn't have much money to spend, so I repaired it little by little over five or six years. What did you order? I think there were a lot of orders (lol). We also built a workshop attached to that building. The studio needs to have a very high ceiling, and I don't need a lot of windows so I don't get distracted by people coming and going, but I do want good light. Thanks to them, I was able to create a house and workshop that I really like.

I work at a workshop in this suburb and at a workshop in Stockholm where I hold meetings and sketch. Whether it's glass, ceramics, or architecture, my work begins with a sketch on paper and pencil. No, I guess I'll have to observe it before that. For example, if I were to make a wine glass, I would spend hours looking at it from various angles, thinking carefully about what new shapes and designs I could make.

Ideas are everywhere in everyday life. I wonder if creative people always have ideas scattered in their heads, and something they see triggers them to become concrete? When I'm working on multiple projects at once, I tend to focus on one thing for a few days and then step away from it. Do you ever get new ideas?

I would like to continue working like this for a while. Rather than having big goals or dreams, I always hope that the work I'm currently doing will go well. And I want to take on as many jobs as possible. Even if it's a completely unknown world, if you think you can learn something new, that alone is worth doing.

1. Teruhiro Yanagihara (designer)
2. Clason Koivisto Lune (Architectural Design Unit)
3. Maki Sakai (actress)
4.All the Way to Paris (Design Studio)

(Titles omitted)